KABBANY: Book concerns prompt change

Recently, about a half-dozen
Murrieta parents complained
about a book their high school-age
children were assigned to read called "To The Wedding" by John
Berger. They called it vulgar and inappropriate.

Curiosity got the better of me. I purchased and read it. The
book gets an "R" rating from me.

The 1995 novel set in Europe tells the story of Ninon, the
daughter of an unwed couple whose mother abandons the family in her
quest to support the Communist party in Czechoslovakia.

As an adult, Ninon contracts HIV during a one-night stand and is
diagnosed with the disease only after she is engaged to her true
love. The story chronicles in a poetic way the pain of living and
dying with AIDS from Ninon's point of view, and also from her
fiance's and their parents' perspectives.

The f-word gets tossed around at least 15 times in the 201-page
book, and the s-word and slang word for penis also make
appearances.

The back of the book describes it as "erotic," and it lived up
to that with frequent references to casual sex and about three sex
scenes.

That Ninon's mother prioritized social justice over raising her
daughter was disappointing, and the value of assigning high school
students a book that contains numerous cuss words and sex scenes is
questionable.

However, the book spells out the consequences of one-night
stands and unprotected sex, topics teens headed to college may want
to think about before they go.

The book also created strong emotions in me as I journeyed with
this family and saw how they each struggled with Ninon's diagnosis
with AIDS ---- a truly tragic fate.

Is the book age-appropriate for high school students? No. A
university setting would be better.

However, students assigned the book were enrolled in the
district's International Baccalaureate program, which offers
college-level courses and is intended to expose them to other
cultures and foster critical thinking.

Still, kudos to the parents who sounded the alarm. Their actions
created positive changes.

Parents' concerns prompted numerous educators to discuss the
book at a meeting in late October. There, they agreed in the future
to expand the choices on the IB English curriculum book list and
better explain to parents interested in enrolling their child in
the IB program that its English courses are college-level and
contain mature literature and themes, according to district
officials.

Furthermore, "To The Wedding" will only be offered in the second
semester of students' senior year ---- as opposed to their junior
year ---- a big improvement.

Meanwhile, the book remains on the list of choices for IB
teachers. If chosen, teachers will provide timely notification to
parents of the language and content contained in the book so
students may opt out and read an alternate novel, district
officials said.